124.81
Insurance benefits.

(A)
Except as provided in division (F) of this section, the department of administrative
services in consultation with the superintendent of insurance shall negotiate
with and, in accordance with the competitive selection procedures of Chapter
125. of the Revised Code, contract with one or more insurance companies
authorized to do business in this state, for the issuance of one of the
following:

(1)
A policy
of group life insurance covering all state employees who are paid directly by
warrant of the state auditor, including elected state officials;

(2)
A combined policy, or coordinated policies of one or more insurance companies
or health insuring corporations in combination with one or more insurance
companies providing group life and health, medical, hospital, dental, or
surgical insurance, or any combination thereof, covering all such employees;

(3)
A policy
that may include, but is not limited to, hospitalization, surgical, major
medical, dental, vision, and medical care, disability, hearing aids,
prescription drugs, group life, life, sickness, and accident insurance, group
legal services, or a combination of the above benefits for some or all of the
employees paid in accordance with section
124.152 of the Revised Code and for
some or all of the employees listed in divisions (B)(2) and (4) of section
124.14 of the Revised Code, and
their immediate dependents.

(B)
The
department of administrative services in consultation with the superintendent
of insurance shall negotiate with and, in accordance with the competitive
selection procedures of Chapter 125. of the Revised Code, contract with one or
more insurance companies authorized to do business in this state, for the
issuance of a policy of group life insurance covering all municipal and county
court judges. The amount of such coverage shall be an amount equal to the
aggregate salary set forth for each municipal court judge in sections
141.04 and
1901.11 of the Revised Code, and
set forth for each county court judge in sections
141.04 and
1907.16 of the Revised Code.

(C)
If a state employee uses all
accumulated sick leave and then goes on an extended medical disability, the
policyholder shall continue at no cost to the employee the coverage of the
group life insurance for such employee for the period of such extended leave,
but not beyond three years.

(D)
If a state employee insured under a
group life insurance policy as provided in division (A) of this section is laid
off pursuant to section
124.32 of the Revised Code, such
employee by request to the policyholder, made no later than the effective date
of the layoff, may elect to continue the employee's group life insurance for
the one-year period through which the employee may be considered to be on
laid-off status by paying the policyholder through payroll deduction or
otherwise twelve times the monthly premium computed at the existing average
rate for the group life case for the amount of the employee's insurance
thereunder at the time of the employee's layoff. The policyholder shall pay the
premiums to the insurance company at the time of the next regular monthly
premium payment for the actively insured employees and furnish the company
appropriate data as to such laid-off employees. At the time an employee
receives written notice of a layoff, the policyholder shall also give such
employee written notice of the opportunity to continue group life insurance in
accordance with this division. When such laid-off employee is reinstated for
active work before the end of the one-year period, the employee shall be
reclassified as insured again as an active employee under the group and
appropriate refunds for the number of full months of unearned premium payment
shall be made by the policyholder.

(E)
This section does not affect the
conversion rights of an insured employee when the employee's group insurance
terminates under the policy.

(F)
Notwithstanding division (A) of this
section, the department may provide benefits equivalent to those that may be
paid under a policy issued by an insurance company, or the department may, to
comply with a collectively bargained contract, enter into an agreement with a
jointly administered trust fund which receives contributions pursuant to a
collective bargaining agreement entered into between this state, or any of its
political subdivisions, and any collective bargaining representative of the
employees of this state or any political subdivision for the purpose of
providing for self-insurance of all risk in the provision of fringe benefits
similar to those that may be paid pursuant to division (A) of this section, and
the jointly administered trust fund may provide through the self-insurance
method specific fringe benefits as authorized by the rules of the board of
trustees of the jointly administered trust fund. Amounts from the fund may be
used to pay direct and indirect costs that are attributable to consultants or a
third-party administrator and that are necessary to administer this section.
Benefits provided under this section include, but are not limited to,
hospitalization, surgical care, major medical care, disability, dental care,
vision care, medical care, hearing aids, prescription drugs, group life
insurance, sickness and accident insurance, group legal services, or a
combination of the above benefits, for the employees and their immediate
dependents.

(G)
Notwithstanding any other provision
of the Revised Code, any public employer, including the state, and any of its
political subdivisions, including, but not limited to, any county, county
hospital, municipal corporation, township, park district, school district,
state institution of higher education, public or special district, state
agency, authority, commission, or board, or any other branch of public
employment, and any collective bargaining representative of employees of the
state or any political subdivision may agree in a collective bargaining
agreement that any mutually agreed fringe benefit including, but not limited
to, hospitalization, surgical care, major medical care, disability, dental
care, vision care, medical care, hearing aids, prescription drugs, group life
insurance, sickness and accident insurance, group legal services, or a
combination thereof, for employees and their dependents be provided through a
mutually agreed upon contribution to a jointly administered trust fund. Amounts
from the fund may be used to pay direct and indirect costs that are
attributable to consultants or a third-party administrator and that are
necessary to administer this section. The amount, type, and structure of fringe
benefits provided under this division is subject to the determination of the
board of trustees of the jointly administered trust fund. Notwithstanding any
other provision of the Revised Code, competitive bidding does not apply to the
purchase of fringe benefits for employees under this division through a jointly
administered trust fund.